[ she silently regards his back for a few seconds more, then turns her gaze back to the nondescript ceiling. She can only imagine what he's talking about - what that man made him do. She won't ask. ]
Mm... I guess I can't really imagine it, either. Especially if you were all alone.
[Even if he's trapped here for an eternity or erased alongside the Realm, his brother will kill that man in his stead. He doesn't like the possibility, but this is still an acceptable consolation prize.]
Well... I think it would be nice if you got to see your wish fulfilled. You deserve another shot at life, too.
[ if she got one, then why not Rufus? he never died, but his existence been sucked into this void of debt and misery - and, as old as he is now, she feels like that's got to count for at least one Fiora lifetime. ]
... I guess that's the problem, isn't it? This is going to be a long night.
[ Fiora sighs, staring up at the ceiling. Her body is tired and aching, as usual, but her mind is racing. While Rufus goes to change, she wills herself to calm, but her thoughts wander, and she can feel every uncomfortable edge of her new body where it meets the old one. She'll still be awake when he returns, though she's rolled over. ]
[He doesn't take long to exit the bathroom and pad over to the bed he's prepared, glancing at Fiora's back as he does. Wordlessly, he slides under the covers to rest on his back.
The lights are dim, and Rufus leaves them that way unless Fiora would prefer to think in the dark.]
[ she's silent for a few more moments. but there's something else weighing on her mind, too. her voice pipes up from her side of the room, though she doesn't roll over to face him or anything. ]
[ she listens to the things he says - and that one really hurt. It feels more pressing than before, now, having been so keenly reminded of her own mortality. ]
[ ugh. hearing him repeat it makes her feel that sinking feeling again. she tries to ignore it. ]
That's not what I asked you. You'd - you'd go through all the trouble of finding my world, and finding my soul, just so you could make a quick bit of coin off of selling me to a collector? That's really what you meant?
[ she's got a thumb on the lid of the locket - she's willing to cheat to see through his vague words if she has to, because this matters to her, now, more than she expected, and more than it should, frankly - but her hand stills as he continues. ]
...
[ she doesn't say anything; she doesn't want to interrupt him if he's in one of his rare moments of honesty about his feelings. She just glances over her shoulder a little bit, hopeful. ]
[She's waiting on him to continue when he doesn't have much to add. Rufus stares up at the ceiling.
With no certainties as of now, this is nothing more than wishful conversation. Putting aside the Realm's stability, however, the competition has been about wishes since the beginning.]
I don't make a habit of selling souls without a request.
[ looks like she won't be needing that locket, after all - because, like she always does, she believes him right away. She's lost her confidence in most everything here, but, just like that first week, she finds her trust in Rufus was well-placed. Turning her gaze away once again, she smiles to herself. ]
Then... It's not too late to accept your offer, is it?
[ who knows what tomorrow will bring? Certainly not Fiora; even so, she knows at least that Rufus will be there for her, and that's enough to lighten her heart more than a little. ]
[Even though they're still here where the Realm is disintegrating by the second, the deadline has yet to pass them so long as Fiora is in the condition to accept or decline.]
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[Not over this sort of thing. He's very quiet by nature.]
. . . Even when I dirtied my hands for him, I didn't scream.
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[ she silently regards his back for a few seconds more, then turns her gaze back to the nondescript ceiling. She can only imagine what he's talking about - what that man made him do. She won't ask. ]
Mm... I guess I can't really imagine it, either. Especially if you were all alone.
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Regardless of what happens tomorrow, Tristan will die.
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And that's what really matters?
[ won't his mom die, too? and his brother, whom she never asked about...? ]
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[Even if he's trapped here for an eternity or erased alongside the Realm, his brother will kill that man in his stead. He doesn't like the possibility, but this is still an acceptable consolation prize.]
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[ if she got one, then why not Rufus? he never died, but his existence been sucked into this void of debt and misery - and, as old as he is now, she feels like that's got to count for at least one Fiora lifetime. ]
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Before that, there's tonight.
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[ Fiora sighs, staring up at the ceiling. Her body is tired and aching, as usual, but her mind is racing. While Rufus goes to change, she wills herself to calm, but her thoughts wander, and she can feel every uncomfortable edge of her new body where it meets the old one. She'll still be awake when he returns, though she's rolled over. ]
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The lights are dim, and Rufus leaves them that way unless Fiora would prefer to think in the dark.]
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... Rufus?
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What is it?
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[ her fingers fiddle with the chain of the locket he gave her the day before, nervous. ]
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[ she listens to the things he says - and that one really hurt. It feels more pressing than before, now, having been so keenly reminded of her own mortality. ]
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That's not what I asked you. You'd - you'd go through all the trouble of finding my world, and finding my soul, just so you could make a quick bit of coin off of selling me to a collector? That's really what you meant?
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...
[ she doesn't say anything; she doesn't want to interrupt him if he's in one of his rare moments of honesty about his feelings. She just glances over her shoulder a little bit, hopeful. ]
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With no certainties as of now, this is nothing more than wishful conversation. Putting aside the Realm's stability, however, the competition has been about wishes since the beginning.]
I don't make a habit of selling souls without a request.
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Then... It's not too late to accept your offer, is it?
[ who knows what tomorrow will bring? Certainly not Fiora; even so, she knows at least that Rufus will be there for her, and that's enough to lighten her heart more than a little. ]
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[Even though they're still here where the Realm is disintegrating by the second, the deadline has yet to pass them so long as Fiora is in the condition to accept or decline.]
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[ it was a decision made on a whim, way back then, but it was a good one. Her heart is rarely wrong, no matter what her actions might end up being. ]
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[His response comes blandly. She shouldn't thank him preemptively, either.]
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[ so obviously, it was more than that!! she will not be moved on this matter. ]
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